
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources needs your help to tally wild turkeys this summer. Take just a few minutes to report any turkeys you see, July 1 through Aug. 31, and contribute valuable data to track the health of the state’s turkey population. Photo courtesy of Michigan DNR
If you spot a hen turkey leading a line of poults (baby turkeys) this summer, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to hear from you.
It’s time for Michigan’s wild turkey brood survey: a community science effort that helps wildlife biologists understand how well turkeys are reproducing across the state and provides valuable information about the health of Michigan’s turkey population. The DNR is asking residents to report sightings of wild turkeys and turkey broods — family units consisting of at least one adult hen and her young — July 1 through Aug. 31.
“Summer is one of the best times of year to see wild turkey families,” said Adam Bump, the DNR’s upland game bird specialist. “Every brood observation helps us better understand how many young turkeys are surviving and where reproduction is occurring across Michigan.”
Wild turkeys are one of Michigan’s greatest wildlife conservation success stories. Once extirpated (locally extinct) from the state, turkeys have rebounded and now are found in every Michigan county.
Building on three years of observations
Maintaining healthy turkey populations requires continued monitoring, and that’s where residents can make a difference.
Now entering its fourth year, the turkey brood survey is part of a larger multistate effort supported by the National Wild Turkey Federation to monitor turkey populations using a standardized survey protocol.
Since the survey launched in 2023, Michigan residents have submitted more than 17,000 observations, documenting over 36,200 hens, 95,300 poults and 15,500 male turkeys.
Those observations will allow biologists to track annual changes in turkey reproduction and compare Michigan’s turkey population trends with those in other states.
“Turkey populations are influenced by many factors, including weather, habitat conditions and poult survival,” Bump said. “By collecting observations year after year, we’re building a long-term dataset that helps us understand trends before they become problems.” Read more